Artist Statement: These pieces of art are all things I created from my cell on death row,where I spent 18 years for a crime I did not commit. During that time, I had to scavenge for any supplies I got, often bartering for them in the prison underground. I eventually received ordination in the Rinzai tradition of Japanese Buddhism. This is the same tradition that trained the samurai in ancient Japan. It was this back ground which was the driving force behind much of my artwork. Most of it was the result of me attempting to turn my cell into a shrine,where I would practice meditation from 5 to 7 hours a day. Most of the pieces I created over the years were either given to friends as gifts of gratitude or destroyed by vindictive prison guards. These pieces are all that remain of my 18 years in Hell. This collection will showcase a series of drawings, collage works, and a set of craft items Damien made while in prison.

About Damien Echols Damien Echols, known as part of the wrongfully imprisoned West Memphis Three. Echols has been well-documented in books, films, songs, and more. And after his release last August after 18 years on death row, Echols got the chance to document it himself in his just-released memoir, Life After Death: a frustrating, honest, and surprisingly joyful account of a life lived under trying circumstances.